need help setting up a PA
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default need help setting up a PA

    so i'm playing my first paid gig tomorrow night and i picked up the PA that i'll be using. i have no idea what i'm doing and could really use some help. i'll try to describe the set up as thoroughly as possible.

    the mixer is a behringer eurorack ub2442fx pro:


    the amp is a crown power-tech1:



    there are three speakers.
    two JBL JRX 100:


    and then 1 other. the only ID i can find on it says Electro voice s-152:


    as for cables, i have 2 cables that have a 1/4 jack on one end and this on the other:


    i then have 2 1/4 jack to 1/4 jack cables.

    i'll be plugging in from my computer with a BCD 3000, which just has RCA (is this what it's called? white/red) audio out. so i'm running that into a converter, RCA to 1/4 jack, and plugging that into channel one on the mixer.

    i would really appreciate any help i can get, and i'm sorry if i mislabeled something. starting to stress, i had no idea setting up a PA would be so complicated. maybe having such antiquated gear doesn't help either.
    15" MBP, BCD 3000, Korg PadKontrol + farmpad
    barely scratching the surface

  2. #2

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    ...Not being sarcastic, but you should find someone to help you.

    It sounds like you don't know how to hook it up so having someone explain it to you might not be the best thing to depend on, especially if you've never done it before.

    Or bring it in to a shop and tell them what you want to do. You might have to buy some extra cables so maybe that would be your best bet.

  3. #3
    Tech Wizard
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    Default

    yeah, i feel you token. my friend is a teacher at this school and i told her i would help her out, but she's been super unreliable about getting me info. she was only able to get ahold of the PA tonight and the event is tomorrow. ideally i would've had much more time to get this straight, but unfortunately, i just don't have the time i need. so i can't really take it to a shop. i've managed to get sound out of both speakers, but it's just guesswork, and i'm lost on what to do with the third one. anyway, wish me luck.
    15" MBP, BCD 3000, Korg PadKontrol + farmpad
    barely scratching the surface

  4. #4

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    Well, first off, i'd say you don't have the right cables. Your Behringer BCD3000 can plug directly into where it says "Ch.1/Ch.2 Input" on the back of the amp.

    Secondly, i'd say you have about 2 speakers too many. Who gave you all that gear? You can hook up all 4 speakers, but I don't see much point. This goes a little beyond my understanding of amps, but I believe it would just require more power out of the amp and make it work harder.

    So, once you get the right cables...You need (2) RCA to 1/4 inch to go from your BCD3000 to the amp. Then you need regular speaker wire to go from the amp, into the speakers. Except that your speakers appear to only take XLR or possibly 1/4 inch if it's a combination input. That Behringer Eurorack is pretty much useless, unless you need to connect a Microphone, or a guitar or something like that.

    Hope this helps out a little.

  5. #5
    Tech Wizard
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    Default

    this definitely helps. i hadn't considered bypassing the eurorack, it makes a lot more sense now. i do have an RCA to 1/4inch jack, but only one. i think i only need one to go from the BCD to the amp, right? i might be missing something though.

    as for hooking up other stuff.. i imagine they might want to hook up a mic, but the BCD has a mic input and i have the proper cables for it. so theoretically, yeah, i could just use the BCD.

    re: speaker cables. i dont know much about this stuff at all, but i piggy-backed two of those two-prong cables (see the picture above) and plugged them vertically into channel 1 output on the amp. this got good levels of sound coming out of both speakers. you're right though, i couldn't figure out what to do with the 3rd one, so i will probably just not worry about it.

    thanks again token, i just couldn't wrap my head around everything and just needed someone to sort stuff out.
    15" MBP, BCD 3000, Korg PadKontrol + farmpad
    barely scratching the surface

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by itsafuntime View Post
    this definitely helps. i hadn't considered bypassing the eurorack, it makes a lot more sense now. i do have an RCA to 1/4inch jack, but only one. i think i only need one to go from the BCD to the amp, right? i might be missing something though.

    as for hooking up other stuff.. i imagine they might want to hook up a mic, but the BCD has a mic input and i have the proper cables for it. so theoretically, yeah, i could just use the BCD.

    re: speaker cables. i dont know much about this stuff at all, but i piggy-backed two of those two-prong cables (see the picture above) and plugged them vertically into channel 1 output on the amp. this got good levels of sound coming out of both speakers. you're right though, i couldn't figure out what to do with the 3rd one, so i will probably just not worry about it.

    thanks again token, i just couldn't wrap my head around everything and just needed someone to sort stuff out.
    If I understand correctly you have two rca's going into on 1/4 inch? You need two RCA's going into two 1/4 inches. Reason being, the amp is bi-amped, which means it has separate inputs for left and the right. You can still use it as is, but you're only using half of it's power, and 1 speaker when you could be using 2 instead.

    The cables that you showed are what are referred to as banana connectors. The connector with the two prongs should go into the back of the amp, and the other end which I believe you said was a 1/4 inch, should go into one of the JBL speakers. But remember, if you have two rca's coming out of your controllers, you need two 1/4 inch connectors going into the amp.

  7. #7
    Tech Wizard
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    Default

    sorry for the confusion. the BCD, for audio out, just has 1 white and 1 red, so i'm referring to that as 1 RCA out.
    http://www.giga-pa.com/shop/images/c...D3000_back.jpg

    i'm using something like this
    http://www.summitsource.com/images/products/CAS059.jpg
    to convert the RCA out to 1/4 jack.

    so i guess i'm just not really sure how i would even use a second RCA to 1/4 inch.


    as for the banana connectors, i basically piggy backed both of them into channel 1 output, so i'm not sure if it's stereo, but i get strong sound out of both JBLs.

    again, thanks for all your help on this and sorry if my lack of knowledge is a bit frustrating! hopefully next time i won't be so rushed for answers.
    15" MBP, BCD 3000, Korg PadKontrol + farmpad
    barely scratching the surface

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by itsafuntime View Post
    sorry for the confusion. the BCD, for audio out, just has 1 white and 1 red, so i'm referring to that as 1 RCA out.
    http://www.giga-pa.com/shop/images/c...D3000_back.jpg

    i'm using something like this
    http://www.summitsource.com/images/products/CAS059.jpg
    to convert the RCA out to 1/4 jack.

    so i guess i'm just not really sure how i would even use a second RCA to 1/4 inch.
    Technically it's 2 RCA's since they both send the same signal, but that there's just a left and right side...The same as how there's a left and right side for your amp. The cable that you have pictured, is most likely for RCA input into a mixer, like the Behringer Eurorack that you had. You can also get cables that have 2 RCA connections, going into two 1/4 inch connections. You can pretty much get any combination of connector or adapter that you can think of. And if someone doesn't create it, well then you can just use a bunch of them together.

    as for the banana connectors, i basically piggy backed both of them into channel 1 output, so i'm not sure if it's stereo, but i get strong sound out of both JBLs.
    Well that's news to me...I didn't know you could do that. Did you mean that you plugged one Banana plug into the amp, and the other banana plug went into the back of the first banana plug? I guess that's possible. I haven't used those connections in a long time, so I wouldn't really know...But if you get good sound out of it then there ya go!

    again, thanks for all your help on this and sorry if my lack of knowledge is a bit frustrating! hopefully next time i won't be so rushed for answers.
    No worries dude. We've all been in that situation. No need to say thanks, just be sure to offer up some help to someone else if you're in a position to do so!

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